The Need for Adaptable Urban Housing
As cities continue to grow and diversify, urban planners and architects face the challenge of creating housing solutions that can flexibly respond to the many demands and changes over time. This rapid change in the urban landscape necessitates adaptable housing design typologies to meet the evolving needs of urban residents.
Several residential building typologies have emerged with the intent of solving the problems arising from overpopulation. This article aims to shed light on the importance of adaptability in urban housing design and its potential to enhance urban living environments. It reviews adaptability through various urban housing typologies, exploring the concept, its significance, and strategies that can be employed to achieve adaptable dense housing solutions.
Urban housing typologies have been changing over time as a response to rapid urbanization and to confront housing needs. This is affected by cultural, environmental, and political development. Different types of housing have emerged to adapt to their varying uses, from laborers’ housing to student housing and rural housing.
Among the most recognized urban housing typologies are:
Stand-Alone Homes
One- or two-story detached single-family buildings, usually with a private yard. They offer more space, privacy, and flexibility than other housing types, but require more maintenance, land, and resources.
Urban Villas
Distinctive architectural residential concepts that combine urban and suburban living, featuring spacious and often luxurious designs with multiple stories, ample living space, and private outdoor areas.
Row Houses
A style of connected single-family homes that share separating side walls between units, forming a continuous architectural facade. There has been a resurgence of interest in terraced housing as a variant of high-density development.
Slab Blocks
Multi-story residential buildings consisting of a series of apartments stacked on top of each other, with a flat, slab-like appearance. This typology has played a significant role in providing affordable housing options in many urban centers.
Residential Towers
Characterized by their height, with multiple stories and apartments stacked vertically. This typology is a common sight in urban environments, maximizing land use to accommodate many residents.
Quadrangle Houses
Residential buildings designed in a square or rectangular shape, enclosing an open central courtyard or quadrangle. These structures consist of multiple living units organized around the central open space.
Infill Narrow Houses
Residential structures designed to be constructed on small, narrow plots of land within existing urban or suburban areas, maximizing the use of limited space.
Stacked Housing
A residential building or housing arrangement in which individual housing units or apartments are vertically stacked on top of each other within a single structure in a complex intersected form.
Lofts
Residential spaces repurposed from former industrial or commercial buildings, characterized by their open and flexible floor plans, high ceilings, and an industrial aesthetic.
Strategies for Achieving Adaptable Urban Housing
Adaptability can be defined as the ability of a building to effectively accommodate changing demands and maximize value over time. Good architecture should be able to perform multiple functions simultaneously by adapting to users’ needs. This research investigates adaptability solutions for the three most common housing typologies in Europe: flats, often found in slab blocks, detached houses, and row or terraced houses.
Design ‘for’ Time
This design strategy deals with how the physical parts of the building, considered as individual functional entities, can be assembled and later disassembled if need be. The building characteristics associated with this strategy include reversible, movable furniture, component accessibility, and functional separation.
These characteristics are most easily applied to the slab block housing typology, as these buildings are commonly designed using framed solutions. Framed solutions encourage the accessibility of components with minimal damage, increasing reversibility and facilitating the separation of functional units like structure, skin, and space plan.
Design ‘in’ Time
This strategy deals with the capability of the physical parts of the building to provide options for the users as they inhabit and utilize it. All three housing typologies support configurable furniture and multifunctional components. Service zones that allow for increased user control, especially regarding necessary mechanical equipment, are more realistic in slab block buildings.
Design ‘for’ Longevity
This strategy aims to improve the building’s efficiency of use and the overall timeframe in which it is used. The characteristics include durable materials, mature components, efficient services, good craftsmanship, and readily available materials.
These characteristics can be applied in all the building typologies, with an extra one in overdesign capacity for the slab block typology, where changes in conditions can be accommodated due to components being designed over the designated capacity.
Design ‘for’ Standardization
This strategy establishes a ‘loose’ relationship between program and space, going beyond what is considered the minimal standard or requirement. While this could be partially implemented in the row house typology, this strategy is most effective in the slab block typology.
The characteristics include open spaces undisturbed with immovable objects, support spaces necessary for functional support, and oversized spaces that are larger than the market spaces or functional necessity but provide the potential for further growth later.
Design ‘for’ Passive Conditioning
This strategy takes advantage of a building’s surroundings to reduce or remove the need for mechanical systems. All building typologies are encouraged to have multiple ventilation strategies either naturally or mechanically, with detached houses able to take advantage of their form to decide the building orientation based on optimal natural conditions.
Design ‘for’ Phased Completion
This strategy aims to improve the efficiency of use and the overall timeframe in which the building is used. The three housing typologies can all accommodate multifunctional spaces, which are large open areas that can be used for various activities.
Design ‘for’ Use Differentiation
This strategy aims to improve the efficiency of use and the overall timeframe in which the building is used. The characteristics are most naturally applied to the slab block typology, including use differentiation, shared ownership, and multiple access points.
Based on the analysis, the slab block housing typology naturally accommodates most of the design strategies that facilitate building adaptability. This suggests that the adoption of the slab block housing typology in Europe over other housing typologies can provide sustainable urban housing wherever possible.
Balancing Adaptability and Affordability
Adaptability is vital to achieving sustainability in urban settings. This research presents adaptability strategies for urban housing, emphasizing the importance of tailoring these solutions to the unique needs and characteristics of individual communities.
One key advantage of zoning reform is its ability to encourage higher-density development. By reducing minimum lot sizes and allowing multiple smaller units within a larger structure, the reform fosters the construction of smaller, multistory buildings. This increase in density can lead to more efficient land use, promoting sustainable growth and reducing urban sprawl.
Moreover, this zoning reform opens opportunities for smaller, more affordable housing options, such as smaller homes and accessory dwellings. By eliminating minimum lot size requirements, multiple, smaller homes can now be built, making it more accessible for individuals and families to find housing that fits their needs and financial means.
Eliminating off-site parking requirements also offers advantages for urban development and increased housing supply and affordability. Research indicates that current zoning requirements often result in an oversupply of parking spaces, leading to wasted resources and contributing to auto dependence, urban sprawl, and pollution. By eliminating parking minimums, development can be better aligned with market demands and accessibility needs, encouraging mixed-use developers to provide less parking in highly accessible locations.
Amending zoning reform to allow for the creation of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and single-room occupancies (SROs) can also help address housing affordability and provide housing options for various income groups. In many cities, zoning codes currently prohibit or severely restrict ADUs and SROs, limiting the availability of affordable accommodations for low-income individuals or dependents. By easing land use restrictions on ADUs and permitting SROs in appropriate areas, cities can create a more inclusive and diverse housing market.
Conclusion
Achieving adaptability in urban housing is essential for creating resilient, inclusive, and harmonious cities of the future. By embracing a range of housing typologies and employing strategies that enable adaptability, designers, policymakers, and developers can address the evolving needs of urban residents while promoting sustainable and affordable housing solutions.
The slab block housing typology, in particular, has shown the potential to accommodate a variety of adaptability strategies, making it a compelling option for urban areas. However, it is crucial to recognize that a one-size-fits-all approach is not suitable, as each community has unique needs and characteristics that must be carefully considered.
By collaborating with local stakeholders, leveraging funding opportunities, and implementing comprehensive zoning reforms, cities can unlock the potential of adaptable urban housing and create communities that are better equipped to meet the challenges of the future. This holistic approach, combining innovative design, responsive policies, and community engagement, is key to achieving adaptability and affordability in urban housing.
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